How does the injury rate of synthetic turf fields compare to natural grass?
In order to examine field safety issues, it is critical to distinguish in-filled synthetic turf from its predecessors (such as Astroturf). Earlier products were essentially “carpets” laid on top of concrete. In-filled synthetic turf was designed specifically to address the safety and playability issues inherent in the earlier products. As such, any data or studies conducted on Astroturf-like field surfaces are not relevant. That being said, a study was recently published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. The article reported on a prospective study of five years of football injuries on both synthetic turf and natural grass. The study includes 240 games played, which is an excellent sample size. The results were gathered from reports of full time certified athletic trainers, orthopedic surgeons, and team physicians.
